Epiphany
by HeavyBull134
Summary: Emilio Ruizcho, famed author of several Barnyard fanfics, is forced to come to terms with his mistake and make a decision to either abandon Barnyard or stay. But in this, he will discover a great truth. Short 5 chapter. Thx to Rocker95 and Sk3lleton.
1. The Isolation

Chapter 1-The Isolation.

"NO! You can't do this!" exclaimed Brandon

"I have too. It's for the best."

"Please don't do this!" cried Daisy

"I have to. It's for the good of all."

"No!"

A door was shut. All was calm.

A steel-toe boot walked over and activated a lever.

ACTIVATE ISOLATION PROCESS

OVERRIDE PASSWORD REQUIRED.

The man thought back to what caused this. How did he get to where he was today? Leaving Barnyard, and all of his friends, and Brandon and Daisy, how did it come to this.

He gripped his dog tags which still had etched:

EMILIO RUIZCHO

Emilio sat on a crate and thought about how it had come to this,

before he had to make the choice to leave Barnyard forever.


	2. TheBarnyardLongshot

Chapter 2-TheBarnyardLongshot

3 days earlier

Emilio Ruizcho stumbled in after a long day of work. He was tired, exhausted, and beat. He strolled over to his fridge and opened it. All around were salad, dressings, and different types of food, and even a couple of pizza boxes filled with cold pizza. But what really caught Emilio's eyes was the bottom shelf of the door of the fridge.

In sets there were bottles of vodka, next to them several cans of Red Bull. Emilio made up his mind for dinner. He got out the salad and shoved it into a bowl, then poured ranch, cheese and croutons on it. Then, he warmed up the cold pizza and mixed two red bulls with a glass of vodka.

He sat down with his mean and finished his college homework, then turned on the Xbox. He was playing Call of Duty: Black Ops when he received two texts.

One was from Brandon

Brandon: How r u?

Emilio: Just fine

Another was from another best friend: Richard Miller

Richard: Hello

Emilio: Hi.

Richard: Are you playing Black Ops?

Emilio: Of course.

Emilio didn't respond to the next texts. He was in an intense match, and there were enemies everywhere. His character dodged bullets and moved around the snowy map called Array. He peered down the Variable Zoom scope and saw another character doing strange spins.

"360 no-scoper." Emilio growled

He waited patiently and watched as the other player spun and shot his teammates. He waited for that character to jump, and fired. The 360 no-scoper fell to the ground.

Emilio laughed, and waited for him to respawn. When he respawned, Emilio had moved to another section of the map covered by thick bushes, his characters ghillie suit and gun camo blended him perfect, and the Ghost Pro perk made him invisible.

This time the no scoper was running around, doing larger spins and watching. Emilio laughed and waited for him to jump out of a window. He did, and Emilio shot him through the head, ending the game.

The final Kill-Cam showed Emilio stalking the no-scoper, then waiting, and then promptly picking him off.

"Too predictable." said Emilio, and he headed over to his room.

He sat down and started lifting his 50-pound dumb bells. While he did so, he turned on his laptop.

He loaded up and clicked SIGN IN. Numerous PMs between him and Rocker95 littered his inbox.

He responded to them all, and then felt the curiosity to read back on what times were like before he joined Rocker.

But it was not a good idea.

Emilio stopped everything and continued to re-read Rocker's stories on happier times. The more he read, the more he realized he had ruined everything for them.


	3. Is this the end?

Chapter 3-Is this the end?

Emilio reeled back in agony.

_What have I done?_

He fell out of his chair and ran to his closet. He got out a gun case and pulled out his Remington 700 Sniper Rifle chambered for the .30-06 round.

He loaded the rifle, and slung it on his back.

Next, he called Brandon.

"Hello?" Brandon

"Brandon." said Emilio, "It's me Emilio."

"Hey!" said Brandon, "What's up buddy?"

"I'm quitting Fanfic." said Emilio,

"WHAT?" shouted Brandon,

"I'm serious." said Emilio.

"You can't!" shouted Brandon, "I won't let you!"

"Why not?" asked Emilio.

"Because." explained Brandon, "You're like my brother. We're as close as DJ and Miller! You can't leave!"

"Listen Brandon," Emilio snapped, "All the bulls and cows are unhappy, I've read the past stories and it's clear that I fucked everything up. Daisy is the only one that got a happy ending. No one else did."

"But that doesn't matter." retaliated Brandon, "They are much happier, I'm much happier since you arrived. In the past, sure we would've thought those were horrible things, but you've done great things that eclipse those mistakes into eternity."

"They still happened." said Emilio, "That's why I have to leave!"

"You can't!"

"Good bye Brandon." Emilio hung up the phone.

Emilio slung the rifle and headed out the door of his apartment. He got in his '97 Chevrolet Camaro and drove off.

He was heading towards the Catronic Isolator. A machine that could erase all memories of cartoons from a real human, separates a real human from their cartoon alter ego, and suppresses the urge to ever associate with any animated thing ever again.

He parked the car in front of a shed out in the middle of a desert in California.

Afternoon. Shed of Cartronic Isolator.

The Cartronic Isolator was disguised as a simple shed in the middle of nowhere, no one wanted to go near it. Inside, it was as simple as a shed could be: tools, workbenches, and other farming tools. But, one keen eye could notice a slight shift in the floorboards, and with enough force, could kick the board in which would activate the elevator.

Emilio parked his car in the dusty lot and took out his Remington. He poked the rifle through the window to make sure nobody was watching him. He got out; it was about 101 degrees outside. He re-slung the rifle and locked the car up, then proceeded to the shed.

All around it was barren, no signs of civilized life. It reminded him of the Mojave Desert, where you could die and no one could ever find you.

As he walked to the door, he felt the urge to look behind the shed. He walked over behind and found several cars parked. No one was inside.

Emilio sensed urgency and ran inside the shed.

The shed's elevator had been activated and Emilio almost fell in face first. He looked down; it was an 8 foot drop. Emilio contemplated how he was going to get down without hurting himself. Then he thought of a plan.

He slung his rifle and climbed down the shaft using the top level to grip his hands. Once he was hanging, he let himself go and dropped down, landing solidly on his feet.

The bottom level where the Cartronic Isolator was was clean and modern. They even had a soda fountain, free of charge. Inside, he walked along the steel floor until he got to the antechamber where the Cartronic Isolator was.

The Antechamber.

The Cartronic Isolator was a big, sphere shaped machine that had a chair and straps in the middle of it. The power switch was on the chair.

Emilio walked over to the chair.

"Ahem, I don't think so."

Emilio turned around. There stood Brandon, DJ, Otis, and Daisy.

"Emilio." said Daisy, "Please think about this! We're happier with you!"

"It's better this way." said Emilio.

"No it isn't." said Brandon, "Please brother, don't do this."

"I have to, don't you see?" said Emilio, "Miller, or me, or whatever shot himself trying to get rid of the pain that could never go away. I took Daisy and fucked everything up, so the only possible solution is not my death, but that I forget it forever and that I can never do anything like this again."

"But you didn't mess everything up." said Brandon, "You made it better!"

"Emilio listen to him!" cried Daisy, "Without you everything would fall apart."

Emilio strapped himself into the Catronic Isolator's chair.

"I don't care about that anymore."

He pressed the button.

The machine powered down.

"What?" Emilio said in shock

"Well…well…well.." said a familiar voice.


	4. Final Defeat

Chapter 4-Final Defeat

"It seems I finally have the upper hand."

Out of the shadows walked a face so familiar and so evil that everybody did a double take.

Dag.

"DAG!" shouted Brandon and DJ

"Hello again pumpkins." said Dag slyly, "Did you miss me? I sure missed you."

Brandon fired a fireball at him, Dag reflected and it hit Brandon.

"Oof!" Brandon collapsed

DJ charged next, and swung at Dag, but Dag grabbed his arm, and twisted it till it broke.

"AAH!" DJ reeled back in pain.

"Oh, forgot to mention one thing." said Dag, "You see when you put me in Hell I began to watch you, and I learned how to counter your moves. But now, let's get to the main event shall we?"

In a flash, he tied up Otis and Daisy and then he separately tied up Brandon and DJ.

"You see, I'm here for power." said Dag, "And this here Cartroony whatever… can give me power with a simple modification."

He pressed a button, and all the lights on the Cartronic Isolator went yellow.

"Of course, there will be a need for something to extract power from." Dag said, and he walked over to Emilio.

"Emilio Ruizcho." said Dag, almost tasting the name, "Look how big you've gotten. I remember when you were just a little 10-year-old, first seeing Barnyard. My how things change huh? Still like to use big guns. Still stubborn. And still in love with Barnyard. That warms my heart. But did you ever wonder why you loved them? Why over the years that love didn't just… go away?"

Dag chuckled, "It's because you have something in there that Steve Oedekerk had. We call it "The Will". and what THAT pretty chicken is is the will support cartoons and even bring them into reality. You have the highest amount and potency of any human alive."

He dragged Otis and Daisy and plopped them down in front of his chair.

"Exhibit A. Otis and Daisy. Remember them? Oh I'm sure you do. They remember you too. The fun times the three of you had. Getting into all kinds of mischief, and at the end of the day, snuggling up in your nice warm bed together, Awwwww… warmed my heart. But over time, Otis faded away, and you developed a crush on Daisy. Until you wandered into Fanfic.."

He brought DJ and Brandon.

"..and brought us the exhibit B. You were so jealous of DJ. What were your words? Oh yes 'I WANT TO GUT DJ AND DAISY ALIVE!'." Dag laughed, "And then you realized if you could just have Daisy, things would be fine. That's your real reason for ever coming onto Fanfic, the real reason to Miller's existence. But then, you developed an unbreakable bond with Brandon and his pet fatass DJ, who mopes about everything. I know, Emilio, that you resent Brandon EVERY TIME he forgets something when you're talking and when he doesn't pick up on obvious things."

"Fuck you coyote." said Emilio, "I should've put a bullet in you when you jumped for Otis, but I didn't wanna shoot Otis. You're nothing Dag, you're still the same little scrawny piece of shit I looked forward to killing. Why don't you unbuckle me from this chair so we can settle this man to coyote? Or are you that much of a scared little bitch still?"

Dag growled loudly, and then went over to the machine and pressed the button.

The machine was about to start the process when sparks flew out of the control scheme.

"WHAT?" shouted Dag.

WARNING: CORE MALFUNCTION

There was a flash, and Dag and Emilio were gone.

Emilio whizzed at high velocity, colors spinning all around him, it seemed like forever he was stuck in a vortex of spinning colors and fast winds. A rainbow tornado.

At last he appeared on a floor made of dust. He laid down and rested for a while, the dirt smelled like rusted metal.

After a while, he got up and looked around, brushing the dirt off of him. He checked his back for…AH! Yes, he still had his Remington and the ammo.

He begin to survey his surroundings, only to find that they were all too familiar. He was in Dag's junkyard, and in the circle where Otis and fought the coyotes. It looked exactly the same, but where was Dag?

"SO FUNNY HOW THINGS CHANGE HUH?" screamed Dag, standing on top of a pile of junk. "NOW I'M GONNA EXTRACT THAT STUFF FROM YOU BY HAND RUIZCHO! I'LL ALSO GET TO KNOW WHAT YOU TASTE LIKE! COOKED AND BAKED!" Dag appear to have covered himself in pure scrap metal, in his left hands he had a buzz saw, and the right held a rivet gun.

Emilio took out his rifle and braced himself.

Five Finger Death Punch-Under and Over It

Dag unloaded with river gun, Emilio sprinted behind cover. Dag went to reload his rivet gun, when Emilio popped out from behind cover and returned fire with his rifle.

*Boom!* Emilio cycled the bolt and fired again

*Boom!*

A piece of Dag's armor fell off, cutting Dag.

"Argh!" cried Dag. He shook it off, "I'll make you pay."

Dag shot at him with the rivet gun, almost htting Emilio as he sprinted behind an old car.

He opened the bolt of his R700 began replacing the two bullets, Dag revved up the buzzsaw and began walking toward him.

"I'm gonna butcher you like the bull you are!" shouted Dag

Emilio fubled to get the last bullet in, but eventually he did and snapped the bolt, he looked up and peered down the scope, saw Dag and fired.

*Boom!* He cycled the bolt.

The bullet hit Dag's makeshift helmet, shattering the glass, Dag could the bullet where the glass had saved him. He flicked the bullet out, and then swung the buzz saw, it cut through the rusted car and cut Emilio's shirt from the back.

Emilio gasped at the close call.

Dag growled, and swung again, but Emilio hit the deck, then got up and sprinted away. Emilio crawled up the piles of junk until he was sprinting on top of the piles, and crouching between cover.

Dag loaded his rivet gun, "Don't hide boy, it'll only be a worse death."

Emilio waited for Dag turn around, then popped out. Dag anticipated him and shot him through the metal, in the hip.

"AUGH!" Emilio gasped in pain, he could see the rivet. It hurt like a bitch.

He dizzily got up and ran into thicker cover while Dag shot at him.

At rest now, Emilio examined his wound. The rivet had barely entered his hip, anymore deeper it would got his vital organs. He took out his pocket medical kit, it only had tweezers and gauze.

Emilio took a deep breath, and began pulling the rivet out, he almost fainted from the pain. Finally, the rivet came out, and Emilio tossed it aside.

He took the gauze and wrapped it tight, he even triple layered it for safety.

Emilio rested for a second, and thought of a plan.

Dag, meanwhile, was watching the edges of the junkyard for Emilio. He watched with keen eyes.

Suddenly, he saw a piece of metal fall! He shot around it, but then got shot from his direct right. His buzz saw was gone and he fired with his rivet gun, tearing up half the area with it.

Emilio waited for the rivets to stop, and then peered his rifle under some junk. His adjusted the scope and saw the CO2 tank on Dag's rivet gun. He fired at it, hitting it. The tank exploded and knocked Dag on the ground, knocking away most of his armor.

Emilio cycled the bolt and sprinted to a new position. He had one shot left in his rifle. If Dag had been revived in Hell, all it would take is one clean headshot to send him back.

Emilio took cover, steadied his aim, and peered through the scope.

This was the Dag, the Dag that had killed Ben, the Dag that had threatened Otis, Daisy, DJ.

Everything faded away, Emilio could hear his heart beat.

He aimed at Dag's head, and fired.

The bullet left the gun and sailed at Dag, it broke through the now fragile glass and entered Dag's skull, the mere force from the bullet shattered skin and bones.

Dag's head exploded into tiny fragments of bone and meat, the headless body stood there and then fell down, and then Hell reclaimed it.

Emilio ran down the junk and saw something particular, it looked like a little pointed stone.

It was Dag's biggest tooth.

He picked it up, and brushed it off. And then Emilio put Dag's tooth in his pocket.

He looked around, the fire for chickens still glowed, Dag's chair still stood there.

Emilio looked at his rifle, then, as if it were but a routine, loaded the full 5 bullets back into the gun. He sat down with his rifle, trying to warm himself by the fire.

_I guess now the dilemma is finding my way home._ He thought.

_God, I didn't ruin anything, haven't I? All of this, they even said themselves, I made it better. I should stop acting like a bitch._

Emilio looked at his sniper rifle.

_Everything changes. You don't like to like it, you just have to accept it._

He sat on there for a good 15 minutes thinking when an old voice interrupted him.

"Looking to find your way home, son?"

Emilio turned around, there was Miles.

"Miles?" Emilio said, "Please don't kick me."

Miles chuckled, "Oh I'm not gonna do any of that, son. You're Emilio right?"

"Yes," said Emilio,

"Heck of a name." said Miles, "You know, things were different before DJ showed up, and then he married Daisy, and then calamity just took over."

"SO he tells me." said Emilio

"And then you came along," said Miles, "You took Daisy and challenged DJ, as your cow form of course. But you made things better in that regard, everybody's happier now. And that's thanks to you."

"Really?" said Emilio, "Gosh thanks Miles. I wish I could get home."

"Well…" said Miles, "You've seen the documentary. Let's go find that bike shop."

Emilio smiled and got up.


	5. Coming Home

Chapter 5-Coming Home

Miles and Emilio walked the same path Otis did after he did defeated Dag. Emilio replayed the scene in his head.

_Pip: Quite a night huh? We took on the coyotes, Peck learned to crow, and by the time we get back, we'll have a new member of the Barnyard running around_

_Otis: What?_

_Pip: Daisy. She like went into her labor after you left!_

_Otis: Daisy's…_

_Pip: She's having her baby dude! What do you think was gonna happen? She would just keep getting bigger or something?_

_Otis: Is she alright? We've gotta get back!_

_Miles: Doubtful we'll make it back in time walking. I'm sure she's gonna be alright Otis._

_Otis: Miles, I've GOT TO BE THERE._

_GOT TO BE THERE._

"Got to be there…" Emilio repeated. He thought of Daisy, thought of them all. Would they even be there?

Him and Miles watched the bikers for a couple minutes.

Miles looked at Emilio

"I know, I know, we can call em and tell em where to pick them up." said Emilio.

Miles smiled.

Slow ride-Foghat

Miles and Emilio cruised down the lowly Montana highway.

"Car!" Emilio shouted,

Miles and Emilio got off.

It was the Pizza Twins.

"YEAAHHHH! RIGHTEOUS RIFLE! DOODLEY DOO DO DOOOOOOO!" they drove off.

Miles and Emilio looked at each other.

They drove off into the highway again.

Barnyard.

It was a starry night, and the moon was full. Emilio and Miles parked their bikes on the hill above.

"Shall we?" said Emilio

"I can't." said Miles

"Why not?" asked Emilio disheartened

"Too many memories, you understand right?" asked Miles,

Emilio hesitated, then said "Yes."

"Hey, young Emilio." continued Miles, "Don't you worry about anything. All those animals trust you, and I have a feeling you'd make a fine leader."

"I wish." muttered Emilio.

"You will. Now go on." said Miles

Emilio saluted him, Miles saluted back.

"See ya when I see ya. Good luck out there. I hope you find what you're searching for." said Emilio.

Emilio rode off while Miles watched. There was one light in the Barn.

It was like the night Daisy had Lil Ben.

Miles looked up at the stars and whistled, "Boy…"

He sat down on that log, the same log in which he had tapped that tune. He started it again.

He began tapping and singing the tune in which he did when Daisy had Lil Ben

So where was Daisy?

Laying down in that same stall, covered by that same blanket, but for a different reason.

She was sick, and dying. Dying of tuberculosis and a broken heart, both of which she had gotten from the facility.

Daisy coughed,

"Hold on Daisy!" said Bessy, "I'm giving you the antibiotics!"

"Please Daisy! Don't die!" said Otis

Daisy finally got some air to talk, "Emilio…dead…my life…nothing."

"Please Mommy!" cried Miracle

"Emilio's still alive!" said Brandon, "I know it!"

Emilio heard the shouts, and ran in to a horrified scene.

Daisy looked a little pale, and she had bags under her eyes.

"EMILIO!" everybody shouted

"Emilio…!" Daisy managed to weakly say

"Oh no!" cried Emilio and he ran over to Daisy

"I was…" Daisy gasped "…so worried."

"What?" said Emilio, "I so had that covered! It's ok, I'm here."

Emilio looked at Bessy, who smiled at him.

Pip appeared next to Bessy, "And I'm here you too." Pip said to Bessy,

Bessy scoffed then blew him straight into Dallas, who glared at Pip.

Daisy weakly chuckled, "It's happening….like when…I had…Lil Ben." she chuckled, then coughed.

Emilio thought, then he realized, he needed an injection of antibiotics and some chest rub, and some Sprite and Orange Juice.

Emilio's leader skills took over

"Brandon! Get ready to add healing properties to some items! Otis! DJ! Bessy! I need you to get an injection of antibiotics, Vick's Chest Rub, and some Sprite and Orange Juice. Go!

They obeyed.

Soon, they had all of the stuff.

"Brandon, add super healing magic to these."

"Ok." said Brandon, and with a snap of his fingers, it was done.

"Awesome." said Emilio, and he began applying the remedies.

Meanwhile, a crowd of animals had gathered around the sick Daisy and the human Emilio.

"Man, that looks like it hurts!" said Pig

"Oh pardon me, Insight-Man." sneered Duke

"Well excuse me for being a pig!" retorted Pig

"How come nothing's happening yet?" said Pip

"She's gonna be alright though huh?" said Peck

"Yeah, like what if the germs mutate into a baby? and then it gets STUCK or something?" asked Pig

"What? You mean halfway, so she'd be a cow and a half?" asked Freddy

"I didn't say 'cow and a half'!" snapped Pig

"Yes you did! You just did!" replied Freddy

"Hey Duke did I say cow and a half?" asked Pig

"No." said Pip, "Look."

Daisy was now coughing, while Emilio was patting her back. She coughed for two more minutes, then gasped.

"I…I can breathe!" she yelled, she inhaled deeply, then exhaled.

"Emilio," Daisy said hugging him, "You saved me!"

"Awwwww…" said Bessy, "What a nice young boy."

Emilio wanted to kiss her, but held back.

"Go ahead." said Daisy

They kissed.

"You're perfect." said Emilio.

The Jersey Cows started crying

"Ohhh! That's so sweet!" cried Eddy

"Hey Emilio." said Brandon, "We've all kinda been talking and we really appreciate what you've done around here, and we were wondering if you maybe would think about staying around a little longer."

Emilio, looked at all the animals, then back at Daisy.

"I'll just say this: I may not be kicking. But as long as I'm still around here, no animal will be harmed inside that fence!"

Daisy beamed and hugged him, and all the animals began cheering.

"I love you bubbs!" said DJ to Emilio and slapped him on the back.

"WHY YOU NO-GOOD BITCHY ASS VAMPIRE!" Emilio shouted,

All the animals gasped, everything was silent.

"Don't tell me that you still don't love me?" asked DJ with sadness

"Does this answer your question?" asked Emilio

Emilio then slammed a bag of Buffalo Doritos against Dj and the hugged him tight.

"I love you too, bubbs." said Emilio

"I'm loved!" shouted DJ

All the animals cheered.

Emilio went outside, and then felt the urge to look up.

The stars were dancing!

They took form of Emilio and Daisy. The two forms tangoed, danced and kissed. Then the star versions of Brandon and Otis took form and all of them could be seen holding hands.

A sign of peace and unity at last.

Daisy came up to him, "That was beautiful wasn't it?" said Daisy, about the stars

"Damn vodka." said Emilio

**THE END**


End file.
